Barry
Barry was a super heavyweight robot and Team Power's first entry into Robot Wars. Competing exclusively in the first series, it was eliminated at the Gauntlet stage after getting stuck on the arena hazards and being attacked by the House Robots during its run. Design Barry was a two-wheeled robot armed with a spring-suspended, bulldozer-inspired scoop intended to push and turn opponents over. With a limited budget, Team Power decided to prioritise the robot's drive power over damaging weapons, with Barry primarily comprising of two batteries, two speed controllers, two gearboxes and two pneumatic tyres for improved traction as well as its scoop and 24V wheelchair motors. The robot also featured a decorative rear wing reminiscent of that of a racing car, and was painted dark brown with rust effects on its tyres and scoop. An original concept drawing for Barry depicted it as also having a rear circular saw and a pair of exhausts behind the wheels, although the saw was discarded and the exhausts replaced by the wing. The robot took three months to design and build. At 116.9kg, Barry was easily the heaviest traditional competitor robot to appear in any of the main UK series, and was shown to have good manoeuvrability and speed as well as having a zero-turning circle. However, its poor control and low ground clearance of 6cm ultimately resulted in its early elimination during its only appearance. Qualification Barry attempted to enter the Super Showdown for the Second Wars alongside Gnasher for the main competition. However, neither robot qualified. Robot History Series 1 Barry appeared in Heat A, and was the second-ever Robot Wars competitor to attempt The Gauntlet. It began its run by speeding off the turntable, but bumped into a breeze block and got itself stuck on the grille as it tried to turn towards the ramp on the centre route. Sergeant Bash immediately shot flames at Barry, before blocking its movements as it turned round and tried to drive off the grille. Barry escaped, but struggled to drive up the ramp as a result of its low ground clearance, allowing Sergeant Bash and Matilda to come in and nudge it. Matilda attempted to cut the springs behind Barry's scoop with her chainsaw, causing sparks to fly, but very little damage. Barry turned round, but was again attacked by Matilda - who again attempted to use her chainsaw to damage its sides and scoop - and lost power just before time ran out. By the end of its run, Barry had travelled a distance of only 2.93m. While disappointed by their own performance, Team Power remained optimistic that Grunt, a Stock Robot driven by the son of Judge Eric Dickinson, would be eliminated. However, Grunt subsequently completed the Gauntlet, eliminating Barry from the First Wars. Following their defeat, Team Power stayed around to watch the Sumo Trial, which they believed Barry would have been ideally suited for, and became even more disappointed when Grunt immediately drove itself off the platform during its run. Results |} Series Record Barry concept.jpg|The original concept for Barry barry creation.jpg|Barry during creation Barryconstruction.jpg|Barry during construction Barry_teampits.png|Team Power with Barry Barry.jpg|Barry in the pits barrybottom.jpg|The underside of Barry barry tv adverts.jpg|Barry in an advert for Robot Wars Trivia *Barry was the only Super Heavyweight to compete in the main UK Championship, although its statistics board still referred to it as a heavyweight. *Barry was the first competitor to be equipped with a lifting scoop. *Barry is one of twenty robots never to have fought in robot combat, having only ever competed in the Gauntlet and/or Trial stages. *Barry was the first ever competitor to be eliminated from any Robot Wars competition. *Barry's motors and wheels were later installed into Sonic, and the hubs by the wheels would later be used as part of Tecumseh's weapons. *When Barry reached the set, it took a huge chunk out of the doors on several occasions, requiring a carpenter to mend. It was learnt that the incidents were being caused by radio frequency issues, but when a crew member attempted to resolve the problem, Barry activated and bowled him over, causing him to slice open his arm on its scoop blade. Fortunately, the crew member was not badly hurt. *During its arena introduction, one of the endplates of Barry's rear wing was damaged. *After being eliminated, the Barry team suggested the idea of fighting in a grudge match to one of the producers, but despite some initial enthusiasm from the producer *On the second day filming of Series 1, 50 other students from Hagley Roman Catholic High School arrived, hoping to see Barry compete, only to be told that Barry had been eliminated the previous day. References External Links *Barry on the Team Power website (archived) Category:UK Series competitors Category:Super Heavyweights Category:Robots with Lifting Scoops Category:Robots from Worcestershire Category:Robots that only lost in the Gauntlet or Trial Category:Robots from Schools or Universities Category:Robots which debuted in Series 1 Category:Robots which only fought in Series 1